FreedomWorks - Cutting Spendinghttp://www.freedomworks.org/fieldtags/cutting-spending
enSenator Rand Paul Exposes the Folly of US Foreign Aidhttp://www.freedomworks.org/content/senator-rand-paul-exposes-folly-us-foreign-aid
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><strong>Foreign Aid: where does the insanity end?</strong></p> <p>Is foreign aid a Democrat or Republican issue?&nbsp; According to Sen. Rand Paul, it is a bipartisan effort that is an untouchable.&nbsp; That’s right, both sides of the political spectrum expect to continue aid without question.&nbsp; If graft and abuse are found, the answer is to simply send more.&nbsp;</p> <p>Senator Rand Paul <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtdY9SGPq5E&amp;feature=youtu.be">eloquently and extensively takes apart the farce</a> that is United States policy on Foreign Aid.&nbsp; Senator Paul describes the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobutu_Sese_Seko">torture of Mobutu</a>, a dictator from the Congo after he took billions of dollars in US aid over his 30 year reign.&nbsp; He stole enough money from the aid he received to be worth billions after his removal.</p> <p>Advocates call our need to send even more cash the lesser of two evils, without considering the fact that the US is still choosing evil.&nbsp; It’s a proven fact that some significant part of the aid the US sends goes to jihadists.&nbsp;</p> <p>Sen. Paul states: “Over the past 50 years we have given over $2 Trillion to developed countries in foreign aid.”</p> <p>Which corresponds directly to our <a href="http://www.usadebtclock.com/">own deficit of over $1 Trillion</a>.&nbsp; Simply put, if the US&nbsp; stops giving aid to foreign despots, over the years our own crippling debt would disappear.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>What type of help does US foreign aid supply?</strong></p> <p>The foreign aid is given with the express intent of alleviating poverty and disease in developing nations.&nbsp; This expectation never comes to fruition because the dictators simply keep the money for themselves, enriching their families and building compounds to protect themselves and those who fervently support their evil rule.</p> <p>The populace knows that the money that funds the lavish lifestyles of the dictators and autocrats that rule over them comes from America.&nbsp; Despots use the funds to build jails and purchase batons, billy clubs, guns and tear gas used to put them down when they protest seeking freedoms that we take for granted.</p> <p><strong>Where do Americans stand?</strong></p> <p>When polled, American’s <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/145790/Americans-Oppose-Cuts-Education-Social-Security-Defense.aspx?utm_source=email+a+friend&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sharing&amp;utm_term=Americans-Oppose-Cuts-Education-Social-Security-Defense&amp;utm_content=morelink">overwhelmingly oppose foreign aid</a>, instead polling 59% in favor of cutting aid.&nbsp; Foreign aid is intended to buy American influence and shape the behavior of receiving countries.&nbsp; Yet the receiving countries have a historically significant lack of respect for America and no change in cultural behavior.&nbsp;</p> <p>Why would countries that are receiving aid due to their abject poverty ever solve their inherent cultural problems?&nbsp; If the poverty persists, the aid dollars will continue to flow.&nbsp; In fact the dollars are more likely to increase if the poverty is horrifying enough.&nbsp; So dictators respond to our enabling aid by oppressing and further impoverishing their citizens.&nbsp;</p> <p>We send “Economic Development Assistance” money to countries with growth that outpaces our own economic development.&nbsp; Two such examples are China and Russia.&nbsp; <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2012/04/13/chinas-economy-the-first-quarter/">China’s economic development</a> (GDP) is 7.4% compared to our own anemic 1.6% growth. &nbsp;</p> <blockquote><p><em>Growth in China’s gross domestic product slowed to 8.1% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2012, the country’s lowest rate of economic growth since the first quarter of 2009.&nbsp;On a quarter-on-quarter basis the picture was even worse, with annualized growth dipping to 7.4% from 7.8%, below the government’s 7.5% target for the year.</em></p></blockquote> <p>And <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2012/08/20/russian-gdp-beats-brazils-even-as-investment-slips/">Russia’s GDP growth is 4.4%</a>, again outpacing our own.&nbsp; It makes no sense to send money in economic development to countries with economic growth that outpaces our own.</p> <blockquote><p><em>Russian statistical agency, Rosstat, said the economy grew 4.4 percent in the first half, on par to what the government is hoping for by year’s end.</em></p></blockquote> <p>This knowledge is what prompted Senator Rand Paul <a href="http://paul.senate.gov/?p=press_release&amp;id=614">to filibuster all bills</a> in the Senate in a move to force a vote on ending all aid to Egypt, Libya &amp; Pakistan. &nbsp;</p> <blockquote><p><em>Sen. Paul's bill, S. 3576, calls for a prohibition of U.S. aid funds to the governments of Egypt, Libya and Pakistan contingent upon the release to U.S. authorities the aggressors who attacked our embassy and consulate in Egypt and Libya, respectively, and the release of Dr. Shakil Afridi, currently held by the Pakistani government.</em></p></blockquote> <p>The argument that foreign aid is only $30 billion or 1 percent of the US budget is ridiculous.&nbsp; Over time that $30 billion has accumulated to over a trillion dollars in funds borrowed from some countries that are clearly not our true allies. &nbsp;</p> <p>Not many Congressmen are in possession of enough strength of character to vote the will of their constituents.&nbsp; This is easily rectified.&nbsp; Ask your Senator where he or she stands on foreign aid.&nbsp; If the answer is yes, kindly inform that Senator that they will no longer receive your vote.&nbsp; That should redirect the energy on this issue with sufficient dispatch.&nbsp;</p></div></div></div>Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:34:24 +0000StacyOnTheRight55631 at http://www.freedomworks.orghttp://www.freedomworks.org/content/senator-rand-paul-exposes-folly-us-foreign-aid#comments